Keystone XL Final Comments: Our Children are Speaking

As I tell my children, actions speak louder then words. On Sunday, March 2nd, 2014 more then 1000 young people marched from Georgetown University in Washington DC to the White House, to make their voices heard in opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline and in support of a clean, renewable energy future. Later that day, 398 brave young people were also arrested.

As I watched this unfold on a live video feed, it brought back memories of my own protest and arrest, at the very same spot, almost 3 years ago. I hope and believe that the parents of these young people are so very proud of their children.

A key deadline on the Keystone XL approval process is approaching and Friday, March 7th marks the last day for public comments to be accepted on the pipeline.

We have heard this call before. We know that there have been so many “asks” for public comments over the past 3 years. We appreciate each and every time you have joined in, and whether you have submitted comments many times before, or have yet to do so, please join us this time, in what we hope will be the last opportunity to put the final “nail in the keystone coffin. ”

Our friends at 350.org have made this easy, you can just add your name to the short comments they have included or choose to make your comments more personal. You don’t need to say a lot (although you can if you want to!) Feel free to search through our many posts on the Keystone XL pipeline for comments and inspiration too.

These are the comments I just submitted to President Obama: ”

Our world is changing at an unprecedented pace and moving towards a dangerous precipice – faster and in more unimaginable ways then was thought possible even as recently as when you were first elected. The seas are rising higher and higher, and the planet is not able to heal. We need you to step up and embrace your legacy as the Climate Forward president. We are scared but we know that we need to be bold and brave as we move forward to a new, renewable future for our children.

This urgency and the actions that are required, mean that we need to have your help and your support.

We need a massive shift away from fossil fuels to a clean, renewable energy future. We need this for the health of our children for their future and for the health and future of our country and our planet. We know that such huge change will present immense challenges, but that it will also offer incredible opportunities for us all.

As I send my children out the door to school every morning and when I tuck them into bed each night, I regularly remind them to “make good and wise choices.” When they are grown and no longer under my roof, I hope and pray that they will continue to do so.

President Obama we need you to be bold, brave and strong, and MOVE FORWARD ON CLIMATE. This means that you have to make good and wise choices. Continuing to indiscriminately burn more and more fossil fuels is neither a good nor a wise choice.

Please join us, as a father and as President of the United States whose job is to protect current and future generations, say NO to Keystone XL, once and for all!”

If you are looking for more inspiration, grab the kids in your life and take a few minutes and watch this excellent video from our friends at The Environment TV. This short video shines a spotlight on these brave kids, and on the actions they took for us all.

Join me and send your comments to President Obama and Secretary Kerry; show your kids, by sending your comments that you care about their future and their now.

As Abraham Lincoln said:“The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.”

As a Mom, in response to these young people who put their bodies on the line on March 2nd, and as an “elder” in the climate movement who has “been there” right where they stood…I am sending my heartfelt thanks to all of these brave young people for raising my hopes that our “just” cause, will and can succeed!

2 Responses to Keystone XL Final Comments: Our Children are Speaking

Hear hear! I am so proud of those kids and of everyone who gets outside their comfort zone and speaks up against the fossil fuel industry. My 11 year old got up and spoke at the last rally we attended. I was too proud for words.

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